Parents and teachers will do some pretty bizarre things to make kids read. But Janet Heilman, an elementary school principal in Reading, took her educational mission to new limits Sunday.
Heilman, 43, challenged each of the 680 students at 16th and Haak Elementary School to read 26 books, corresponding with the 26.2 miles she ran at the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Fla.
As of Sunday, the students had read a total of 18,319 books, surpassing the goal of 17,680. One third-grade girl has reportedly read 440 books, while a fourth-grade boy has read 220.
Heilman, who finished the race with a time of 6:15:15, plans to present those two high-reading students with "Marathon Reading Medals" similar to the one she took home for finishing the race.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow Hurricane Schwartz on Twitter, the NBC10 Earthwatch on Facebook and on our mobile site. Sign up for our weather newsletter. And, get weather forecasts delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIWEATHER to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
